Saturday, September 29, 2018

Bengaluru: Days after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman questioned the production capacity of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the public limited company announced its highest ever turnover of Rs. 18,28,386 lakh in FY 2017-18, in comparison with the previous year's turnover of Rs. 17,60,379 lakh.
The company underlined that it has produced 40 aircraft and helicopters, including Su-30 MKI, LCA Tejas and Dornier Do-228 in fixed wing and ALH Dhruv and Cheetal Helicopters in rotary wing. In addition, the company said it has produced 105 new engines, overhauled 220 aircraft/helicopters and 550 engines and 146 new aero-structures for space programs were produced during the period.
This was disclosed during the HAL's 55th Annual General Body Meeting of Shareholders, first after its listing at the new HAL Management Academy (HMA) campus at Bengaluru on Friday.
The disclosure comes close to the Defence Minister's claims that one of the reason for the deal for 126 Rafale planes falling under the UPA regime was that HAL did not have required capability to produce them. On Thursday, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Babul Supriyo said, HAL had quoted double man power hours to Dassault Aviation for a job that could be done in "100 man-hours".
29/09/18 ANI/NDTV